The 75th Emmys ceremony has been criticized after its emotional In Memoriam segment omitted three stars who died over the past year.
Last night’s Emmy wins were steamrolled by three shows: The Bear, Succession, and Beef, taking home a total of 24 awards between them, including Best Drama Series, Best Comedy Series, and Best Limited Series, as well as a slew of acting prizes.
Much like the Oscars, the ceremony always comes to a halt to pay tribute to the stars we’ve lost. This year’s segment, scored by Charlie Puth’s rendition of the Friends theme, featured Irene Cara, Bob Barker, Andre Braugher, Alan Arkin, and Matthew Perry, among others.
However, three notable stars were left out of the segment, which quickly sparked backlash on social media.
Emmys In Memoriam segment snubs three stars
Jerry Springer, Ryan O’Neal, and Ray Stevenson weren’t included in the In Memoriam segment.
Springer was famed for hosting his notorious talk show, while Stevenson appeared in Ahsoka last year as well as shows like Vikings, Black Sails, and Dexter. O’Neal was known for movies like Barry Lyndon and The Driver, but one of his most notable roles was in Peyton Place, a ’60s ABC sitcom.
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Charlie Puth performs the theme song from #Friends during the in memoriam segment at the 75th #Emmys pic.twitter.com/YbfNUZOHYj
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 16, 2024
Others were missing too, including Julian Sands, Tom Sizemore, Raquel Welch, Lisa Loring, Al Brown, and Charles Kimbrough.
“Sucks the EMMY tribute didn’t include Jerry Springer. A pioneer in television,” one user posted. “Uhhh… where the heck was Jerry Springer in the memorial?!” another asked. “Ok but leaving off Jerry Springer is pretty f**king crazy that man literally changed reality/talk television programming,” a third tweeted.
In a message dedicated to Stevenson, one user wrote: “#Emmys forgot you, but the Star Wars fandom will never forget you or the eternal mark you left on the franchise.”
“Shame on the TV Academy, how could they omit Ray Stevenson?” another wrote. “Ok now I’m offended how dare they leave out Ray Stevenson,” a third tweeted.
O’Neal’s son Patrick tweeted: “Wasn’t watching #Emmys but someone let me know they left my dad out of the ‘In Memoriam’… kind of wish I didn’t know right now but I would’ve found out. Sad and mad is a paralyzing combo.”